As South Korea’s fascination with medical school continues, students increasingly opt for medical school over guaranteed employment programs at major corporations, even in rural locations. This shift is evident at Yonsei University and Korea University, where students enrolled in semiconductor contract programs with guaranteed positions at Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix are leaving in significant numbers, many believed to be pursuing medical education instead.
Jongro Academy, a preparatory institution in Korea, reported on Feb. 14 that out of 3,345 applicants who passed the College Scholastic Ability Test for the first time during the regular admission process, 804 students—483 from Yonsei and 321 from Korea University—withdrew their applications. The non-enrollment rates were 28.5% for Yonsei and 19.5% for Korea University.
The non-enrollment rate for applicants who passed the regular admission process for the first time remains comparable to the previous year. However, this year, there was a notable increase in the number of students opting out of the contract program, according to Jongro Academy. The contract program, a collaborative initiative between universities and companies, establishes specialized majors to secure students’ employment post-graduation.
At Yonsei University’s Department of Systems Semiconductor Engineering, a program partnered with Samsung Electronics, 92% of first-time successful applicants in the regular admission did not enroll. Out of 25 vacancies, 23 did not enroll in the program. Similarly, the non-enrollment rate for Korea University’s Department of Communications Engineering, another Samsung Electronics partnership, reached 70%, a significant rise from last year’s 16.7%.
The School of Smart Mobility at Korea University, associated with Hyundai Motor, saw a 65% non-enrollment rate, with 13 out of 20 first-time successful applicants of the regular admission not enrolling this year, compared to a 36.4% rate last year. In collaboration with SK Hynix, the Department of Semiconductor Engineering at Korea University had a 50% non-enrollment rate, a substantial jump from the previous year’s 18.2%.
It is widely presumed that most students who withdrew were accepted into local medical schools or Seoul National University. The education sector suggests that the entrance scores for Yonsei and Korea University’s contract programs are on par with those of local medical schools.
Lim Sung-ho, the head of Jongro Academy, said, “The increase in non-enrollment in the contract programs at Yonsei and Korea University, which typically have high enrollment rates in the regular admission, is notable compared to last year.”
